Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge

Each time we visit, it’s a whole new experience. As luck would have it, we had planned our vacation months in advance. Apparently so did Tropical Storm Ophelia. We arrived Thursday, September 21, and TS Ophelia was due Friday night.

We went to the Atlantic Ocean / Beach to watch the waves come in. They were huge! The park service hadn’t closed off the beach yet. We visited the beach on Saturday and it was all closed off. One could see the waves hit the beach just from the vehicle. It was a beautiful sight.

This time of year, early fall, is an excellent time to visit. The weather is a comfortable high 70's, and crowds are minimal. Shops do close early and may not be open every day. But, the relaxing atmosphere is worth any of that.

We visited on a weekday summer morning. Thanks to tips from the park ranger, we were able to see 2 groups of wild horses grazing in the marshes as we drove along Beach Road. The horses are fenced in a large enclosure for their protection. It was cool to see shore birds and egrets relaxing on trees and fences near the horses. We also hiked the Woodland Trail but did not see any horses there. The Lighthouse Trail and the 2 visitor centers are well worth the time as other stops.

I love the area.
Recently, I've been visiting quite a bit lately trying out new restaurants.
Enjoy seeing the ponies. Candy shops are great.
Views of the waterways are nice as well. This visit I saw the light house that is going to be re opened.

Love it here. Great beach, beautiful scenery and a multitude of wildlife.

As others have said, unspoiled beaches, wetlands and trails to walk and bike. Hours are 5a-10p all for a mere $10 entry fee. The ponies were spotted grazing at 7pm on a Friday evening. Birds are plentiful as are mosquitoes so BRING BUG SPRAY (and sunscreen!).

Cute little town. Had great food at Bill's Prime (I don't eat seafood). Had great boat tour with Up the Bay Pony Tours. Saw horses, dolphins, and a misplaced Flamingo. Pictures are from tour.

We saw lots of wildlife: horses, rabbits and squirrels, each multiple times! It wasn't very crowded late August on a Sunday afternoon either. The hiking trails were nice as well.

The mosquitos are out of control. We sprayed with Off and didn't seem to make a difference. The trails are paved and well kept. The beach access is plentiful. The area is clean and can get busy.

Amazing!
One of the places that you can see the delmarva fox squirrel in the wild. Super cool

Always a nice place to visit. Lots of fun things to do. walking trails and beach, watching birds and wild horses. There’s a lighthouse and visitor center. It can be crowded on weekends. Try early mornings and evenings to avoid crowds and see more nature.

The beach was absolutely beautiful! Gorgeous place, saw a ton of wildlife. ❤

Love walking around the area. The service road up to the beach is a fun walk and in the fall is almost completely free of any other people. Just remember to bring bug repellent, even if you think it's too cold.

This beach is very unique because there are sand bars, 100 feet out into the ocean, that actually break up the large waves and offes a safe swim into the Atlantic. Lots and lots of bike trails. Wild horses can be seen near the bay side. Awesome place to take the family.
(Dogs are not allowed in this park.)

Bug spray!!!! If you walk any of the inland trails you will need bug spray. The mosquitoes are huge and hungry. Never seen so many!
The seashore has beautiful, fine white sand—miles and miles of it.

This was an absolutely amazing vacation spot and it has an amazing beach spot, the view and swimming of the ocean was an absolutely amazing experience to have done, the beach has a shower area you can use to clean off as well as changing rooms and bathrooms on the beach, the island also offers a fishing spot for the ocean that is separated from the swimming spot.
The wild life here is also amazing with different species of crabs, jellyfish, birds, and fish all throughout the beach.
You can walk the beach all day (which we did) and it is an amazing time, and the shells you can find on the beach are awesome although the best ones are found just off the beach in the ocean.
The island also has great souvenir stores, as well as a wide variety of sea food restaurants as well as more plain food if your more reserved.
The island also offers a fun light house that you can take a trail to get too!
There's also a great view of the ponies as you drive out to the island.
Me and my Wife loved visiting the island and had an amazing time while we where there and are looking forward to going back to visit and we are sure that any one who visits would love there stay there!!!

Beautiful! Love this place and hope to go back. Going in the off season made for a quiet, peaceful trip with not many others about.

The beach is a great place to watch the sunset. Take note that the lighthouse is closed. Of course you in can see it but cannot go up.

There's so many things to see in this park between the ponies and the wilderness trails and the beach. The over sand vehicle area is my favorite part. If you plan to spend the day during the in season I would recommend arriving early the park gets crowded quickly and a line of cars tends to form at the gate.

Beautiful beaches. Very family friendly. Not a long walk from your car to the beach. Only 10 dollars per car to get into the park. The horses are beautiful and so whimsical. My toddlers loved coming here. We will definitely be back.

Beautiful Evening to bike onto the Wildlife preserve.